Beyond the Traffic Signs, and Outside the Yellow Lines

Snow. Combat. Offline. Hacked. Human Error.

There are many real-world scenarios where mobility is needed. Interdisciplinary teams
at Michigan Tech tackle research challenges in the air, on land, and even underwater.

Unstructured environments are the gray zones of mobility. It's where chaos enters
the picture. Michigan Tech is in a remote, snowy region in the Upper Peninsula—our community regularly has to make sense of chaos and a lack of structure, and to
some extent, that carries over into our research.

Unpredictable Weather

Mobility Research

As a key research area that spans civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical
engineering, computer science, cognitive science, and many more, mobility needs more
than traditional paths to move the field forward. Whether under water, above traffic,
by rail, or on the road, Michigan Tech takes autonomy to the ends of the Earth.Select the topic links below to discover the researchers that focus in each area.

User Experience (UX) - Fast changing technology calls for innovative solutions to create the best overall
meeting point between the highest user satisfaction and technological requirements.

Propulsion Systems - As the world moves towards more efficient and environmentally friendly fuel sources
research is needed to discover the best available future. Within the next 10 years
a significant shift is expected in which we will see five classes of propulsion systems
emerge.

Industry 4.0 - Industry 4.0 is the current trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing
technologies. It includes cyber-physical systems, the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud
computing, and cognitive computing. Industry 4.0 is commonly referred as the fourth
industrial revolution.

Data Analytics & Artificial Intelligence - Rapid advances in digitation, data collection, analytics, artificial intelligence,
and machine learning have been reshaping the way society engages with automobiles.
As technology continues to evolve, research continues to grow to include a wider section
of categories.

Smart Transportation Infrastructure - Smart infrastructure will be an integral part of transportation including roads, bridges
traffic lights, parking lots, toll booths, and even more. Communication between vehicles
and infrastructure are creating solutions for safety and reduced congestion.

Rural & Cold Weather Environment - Mobility can be severely impacted by rural or cold weather conditions. Dirt and gravel
roads, or snow and ice, can significantly affect the performance of a vehicle and
its systems. Michigan’s Upper Peninsula provides a natural environment to experiment
and test vehicles under the harshest conditions.

Testing and Proving Grounds

Keweenaw Research Center

The Keweenaw Research Center maintains more than 900 acres of proving grounds, including
many miles of prepared test tracks. Ride and handling loops, a circular track, an
ice rink, a snow-packed area, and a rugged off-road obstacle course all provide the
backdrop for research in vehicle mobility.

Marine Autonomy Research Site (MARS)

Autonomous Surface Vessels and Vehicles (ASVs) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles
(AUVs) technology has matured in recent years and has become a readily available “off-the-shelf” tool.
The number of products and types of vehicles under development continues to grow.
Similar to the automotive and trucking industry’s land-based autonomous vehicles and
the aviation industry’s aerial drones, much testing is needed to verify associated
risks and compliance with real-world conditions, including the interaction with fully
crewed vessels, recreational vessels, compliance with existing maritime regulations,
and the amount of oversight and control needed for safe and efficient operation. For
these reasons, the Smart Ships Coalition announced a Great Lakes test bed area open
to all companies, research institutions, government agencies, and others wishing to
test autonomous surface and sub-surface vehicles and related technologies. For more
MARS details, please visit Smart Ships Coalition.

The Great Lakes Research Center is a proud member of the Smart Ships Coalition. The coalition is a broad stakeholder community of academic, state and federal agencies, private and
non-profit industry, and international organizations who share a common interest in
the advancement and application of autonomous technologies operated in marine environments.

Research Contact

Brent Burns

Director of Federal and Industry Relations

Youth-led Mapping in Our Communities

The GRACE project empowers youth through the use of geospatial technologies to map
and analyze what aspects of neighborhoods promote or detract from child health and
wellbeing to enable youth to make real change in their communities.